St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-22
"a.
AN ACT to place the inmat

AN ACT to place the inmates of Insane Asylums
under the protection of the laws by securing
to them their postal rights.
Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of
Minnesota:
SECTION l. That henceforth each and every
inmate of each and every insane asvlum both
public and private in the State of Minnesota,
Shall be allowed TO choose one individual from
the outside world TO whom he or she NAV write
when and whatever he or she desires, and
over these letters to this individual there shall
be no censorship exercised or allowed by any of
the asylum officials or employees: but their
postof1ce rights, so far as this one individual is
concerned, shall be as free and unrestricted as
are those OF any other resident or citizen of the
State or Minnesota, and shall be under the pro-
tectlou OF the same postal laws; and each and
evey Inmate shall have the right to make new
choice OF this individual party every, three
months II he or she desires to do, and all such
letters shall tie dropped by the writers thereof,
accompanied by an attendant, when necessary
into postCffice box provided by the state at the
insane asylum, and kept in some place easy OF
access TO all the patients The attendant is re-
CURED IN all cases to that this letter is di-
rected to the patients correspondent, andif it is
not so directed it must be held subject to the
superntendents disposal; and the contents OF
these boxes shall be collected once every week
by an authorized person from the postoftce de-
partment, and by him placed in the hands of
the United States mail for delivery.
SEC. 2. Tina it is hereby made the duty of
the superintendent to keep registered and
posted IN some public place at the insane asylum,
true copy of the names of every individual
chosen as the inmates spondents and by
whom chosen, and II is hereby made he duty of
the superintendent to inform each of the in
dlViduals OF the name of the party choosing him
or her, and he is to request him or her to
write his or her own name on the
outside of the envelope of every letter
he or she writes to this individual inmate: and
all these letters bearing the individual writer's
name on the outside, he is requested TO deliver
or cause to be de iVared, any letter or writing TO
him or her directed, without opening or reading
the same, or allowing it 10 be opened or read
unless there Is reason for believing the letter
contains some foreign substance which might be
used for medication: i'll which case the letter
shall be required to be opened in the presence of
a competent Witness and this subst auce shall
be delivered to the superintendent, to be used at
his discretion.
SECS. [Thatl any person refusing or neglect1ng
to comply with, or willingly or knowingly violat-
ing any OF the provisions of this act, shall be
guilty OF misdemeanor and upon conviction
thereof shall be punished as the Criminal Code
of Minnesota prescribes and by inelgibility to
any office in the asylum afterwards.
SEC 4. That a printed copy of this act shall
be framed and kept posted in every ward Of
every insane asylum, boUh public and private,
In the State of Minnesota.
SEC D. That all acts parts Of acts incon-
slstent with the provisions of this act are
hereby repealed
SEC e. This act shall take effect and be in
force thirty days from its passage.
Approved March LIST, 1887.